Brrrrrrr… there’s a chilly wind blowing today. The temperature has unexpectedly dropped from mild to freezing. We’re experiencing a cold snap. Oh, no! My fingers are turning blue and going numb as I type this post. Please excuse me while I go and put on some gloves.
Here’s Dara with a new video explaining this common idiom. Enjoy and stay warm!
Transcript
A cold snap? Well, to snap something is to suddenly break it in two, right? So, you mean to do this when it’s cold?
No! A cold snap is a short period of unusually cold weather – that is, a few days of surprisingly cold weather. After a cold snap, the weather returns to normal.
Let’s see how we can use this phrase naturally:
- There is going to be a cold snap next week, with temperatures dropping below zero (0° Celsius) from Tuesday through to Friday. Don’t worry, the weather will be back to normal on Saturday.
- When I first arrived in London, the weather was freezing! Luckily, it was just a cold snap, and two days later, it was 25° Celsius!
- Brrr! It’s freezing cold today! Let’s hope it’s just a cold snap!
So, there we are. How’s the weather where you are now? I hope it’s just a cold snap!
Practice
Use the prompts below to write a sentence with today’s idiom, or come up with your own idea.
- Has your region ever experienced a sudden drop in temperature? Describe your experience.
- Did you ever take a vacation, but when you arrived, you realized that you needed to buy some warmer clothes? What happened?
- What are your favorite ways to pass the time when the temperature drops?
When the weather unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse, you may need to dig out some winter clothes from your closet, or pop to the store for something wooly and warm. Being from Ireland, we like to snuggle up in front of the fireplace in the local pub with a nice pint of Guinness. How about you?
We hope you find today’s idiom useful. If you like our content, please check us out on Instagram. Or visit and subscribe to our Youtube channel, so you never miss a new video.
Leave a Reply